Mutharika withdraws SRFL football sponsorship

President Peter Mutharika has withdrawn sponsorship to the Southern Region Football League sponsorship with just a week before kick off.

SRFL chairman Trouble Kalua confirmed that President Mutharika through his aide Ben Phiri, who is also sponsorship coordinator , said the sponsorship would not be renewed due to challenges the league faced during the initial years.

Kalua, a lawyer himself, wonderered what sort of challenges the league that forced President Mutharika not to renew the sponsorship.

Mutharika: No more league sponsorship

“We are disappointed that the sponsor had decided not to renew the sponsorship. We had hoped that after the political campaign business that kept them busy, was done the sponsorship would be renewed with increased stakes, but as it turned out those were false hopes,” Kalua said.

He said the communication had also come at an awkward time when it would be difficult to secure another sponsor.

“We could not have concrete discussions with other sponsors while this was still hanging. Now we have no choice but to look at other alternatives,” he said.

Mutharika, then a cabinet minister under his brother late President Bingu Wa Mutharika administration, sponsored the league at K5 million after Arkay Plastics withdrew sponsoring the league.

The Mutharika’s SRFL sponsorship had become unstable and controversial over the years.

The President also reduced the sponsorship to regional women’s football sponsorship after it was launched.